The line for tickets to catch President Barack Obama's appearance today at the University of Colorado at Boulder began to form just before 6 a.m. Monday. The line leading to the Coors Events Center box office wound its way through parts of campus on a warm day.

Liam Paterson, 14, reacts after obtaining a ticket at the Coors Events Center box office on Monday to hear President Barack Obama when he visits the University of Colorado at Boulder today.

When then-junior Sen. Barack Obama came to the University of Denver in 2008, the Democratic presidential hopeful was greeted by long lines and a crowd full of youthful enthusiasm. And while his return to the state for tonight’s appearance at the University of Colorado at Boulder more than four years later has produced similarly long waits for tickets, the other response — enthusiasm — is lurching along.

“You dial the clock back four years and college campuses were on fire with Obama fever in April ’08,” said Eric Sondermann, an independent political analyst. “I think reigniting it is going to be a challenge at best. You can only run on hope and change once, and you can only be a political virgin once.”

“The youth vote wasn’t the only thing that propelled him (Obama) in 2008, but it was a major factor,” Sondermann said. “Obviously, that is a huge part of the White House’s agenda for this week.”

Students and others Monday afternoon stood in the hot sun in a ticket line that coiled through parts of campus.

“I just want to be a part of something this big and to hear him speak,” said 21-year-old CU student Stephanie Scau.

Scau, who was in line with three friends, is a biology and environmental studies major and doesn’t see any other candidate as an option.

CU student Joelle Rickard, 21, feels there is less buzz and fewer conversations surrounding Obama than when she was a high schooler in 2008.

“It’s a pretty liberal campus, so I think most people are pretty set with Obama as their choice,” Rickard said.

That laid-back attitude may not harm Obama, but it is not set up to help him in the same way it did four years ago.

“It’s not like they’ve left Obama and gone to another candidate,” Sondermann said. “They’ve just gone back to their disillusionment.”

Jobs and unemployment are considered a critical issue by 76 percent of college-age millennials, according to Public Religion Research Institute. This is the point of entry that CU’s College Republicans group hopes to use to garner more student support.

“College students are starting to pay attention to the fact that they can’t find jobs, and this is not what they envisioned as their American Dream or what they had hoped for down the line,” said 20-year-old Aslinn Scott, vice president of CU’s College Republicans.

“What I hear from students is not about student loans but anxiety about jobs,” said Kenneth Bickers, a political science professor at CU. “There are just a lot fewer stickers on clothing, computers and backpacks. There doesn’t seem to be the same sort of visual excitement as you walk across campus.”

He predicts that the 2012 youth vote will return to its historical patterns, which are lower than the 2008 surge. He says there has been more excitement on campus about the Republican race, but he doesn’t see it changing the overall leanings of the students.

“I think that the campus will be strongly supportive of Obama if they turn out to vote,” Bickers said, “and that is precisely why Obama is coming to campus.”

Rickard and her friends will probably vote for Obama, but they say the motivation and excitement have diminished.

“I haven’t hated what he’s done, but I haven’t loved it either,” said 20-year-old Nolen Pulliam. “I think the younger generation is a bit more patient and willing to wait to see what he can do in another four years.”

While Obama may still be the preferred candidate among young people, a victory may require more than a passive acceptance to get them to the voting booth.

“That’s one of Obama’s big challenges: He doesn’t have to duplicate the youth turnout, but he has to get it out somewhere near where it was in 2008,” Sondermann said. “It is more than proving yourself preferable to the other guy. It is trying to rekindle hope and optimism.”

Kristen Leigh Painter was a former business reporter who focused on airlines and aerospace coverage. She joined The Post in September 2011 and departed for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in August 2014. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a master's in journalism after earning a bachelor's in history from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

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